A free flow of democratic expression

You might have noticed that it’s been a bit quiet on CD2Policy.wordpress.com. It’s not because there isn’t policy news coming from our office, but because we’ve switched websites. Due to some technical issues we’d rather not delve in to, CD2Policy will now be hosted by Blogger, instead of WordPress. The address is now cd2policy.blogspot.com. For those who’ve signed up on this site to receive automatic posts by email, please make sure to do the same on cd2policy.blogspot.com by clicking the Follow button in the right column. Thanks so much and please let us know if you have any questions.

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Every year, Los Angeles offers up a wide variety of cultural events and festivals, some of which are free. The full schedule is available at the Department of Cultural Affairs’ website [.pdf], but we will update this blog to bring you a listing of events in and around the district and invite you to tell us of your arts experience and/or events as well.

The listing reflects the city itself; events comprise an inter-cultural mix of dance, theater, literature, art and music. While many of these events have become annual favorites, some new additions will be unveiled this year.

Events have already started in many neighborhoods. In Tujunga, the McGroarty Arts Center now features artist Maria Bodmann, who teaches a weekly class on shadow play, the ancient form of storytelling using hand puppets or other materials.

The free class runs through March 23 each Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and students of all ages are invited to draw, carve, paint, act and choreograph. There are also classes on Sunday, Feb. 27 from noon to 4:30 p.m. and a special, final session on Sunday March 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. The McGroarty Arts Center is located at 7570 McGroarty Terrace in Tujunga and they can be reached at (818) 352-5285.

Starting this summer, the Sun Valley Youth Arts Center will take part in “Music L.A.,” a citywide, hands on musical training session for kids and teens. At the arts center, musician Tomas Herrera will hold an instructive lesson about Jarocho, traditional Mexican music from the state of Veracruz. Stay tuned for more details. The Sun Valley Youth Arts Center is located at 8642 Sunland Boulevard and their phone number is (818) 252-4619.

There are also farmer’s markets, art walks, gallery expositions and much more throughout the city. Read about it in the DCA guide – available online [.pdf]- or stop by one of our office’s for more information.

LOS ANGELES – Councilmember Paul Krekorian, of the city’s Second District, is set to appear Sunday, Feb. 6 on NBC’s “News Conference,” the longest running public affairs television program in Southern California.

Krekorian is set to discuss a proposed football stadium for Downtown Los Angeles, something he has consistently questioned. At the Los Angeles City Council meeting of Wednesday Feb. 2, 2011, Krekorian was the only councilmember to vote against two motions relating to the proposed stadium, asking why the city needed to rush into a deal amidst a financial crisis and calamitous deficit. He is set to appear alongside Councilmember Jan Perry.

“News Conference,” hosted by Conan Nolan, is a weekly half-hour program that airs locally on Channel 4 Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. and 11:35 p.m. Episodes are also catalogued online at, here.

Councilmember Paul Krekorian represents Los Angeles’ Second Council District, which includes the east San Fernando Valley and the foothills. His website is cd2.lacity.org, where you can sign up for news updates or visit him on Twitter (@PaulKrekorian) or Facebook.
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Recently, a pair of talent management company operators found out after they were the first two to be charged with violating the Talent Scam Prevention Act of 2009, which then-Assemblymember Paul Krekorian passed while in Sacramento.

David Askaryar, 46, and Ricardo Macias, 35, were arraigned this week after the city attorney’s office said they had stolen from, misrepresented and cheated customers. Their trial awaits.

The legislation bars talent talent representation services such as agents and managers from charging actors fees other than commissions and requires other talent services to comply with various consumer protection regulations.

It won’t likely revolutionize Hollywood, nor will it heavily impact filming in Southern California. But a piece of legislation the Los Angeles City Council approved Wednesday does aim to lift an important hurdle to ease on-location filming throughout the city.

The motion – included in a tripartite package of film industry reforms the council will eventually consider – is another step in the right direction to ensure the continued growth of a business that fuels the Southern Californian economy, said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who pushed for, wrote and is aiming to pass the motions.

Councilmember Krekorian, flanked by a trio of location managers he honored in front of the L.A. City Council on Jan. 14, 2011 | CD2

The first of the three – approved unanimously Wednesday – calls for a review of existing food service contracts to determine how food service costs for film productions can be lowered at city facilities.

“On-location food service is an important sector of the film industry,” Krekorian said. “But the costs for these food services can rise dramatically when a city contractor is involved, spiking a production companies’ bottom line from hundreds of dollars a day to thousands.

“We need to evaluate our contractual policies to determine how we can best ensure that a simple thing like providing soda and fruit doesn’t drive film and television production jobs out of our city, state or country.”

In his motion, Krekorian calls for new policies and contractual guidelines of future food service contracts when productions film at city facilities, like parks, such as the Griffith Observatory, the zoo and other locations.

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Please excuse us as we shift from policy to party, but on Wednesday, Dec. 15, Councilmember Paul Krekorian – and his staff members – will host a holiday party/open house in Sunland-Tujunga.

Come mingle with Paul, our neighbors and the city staff members who day in day out work to make our district wonderful.

The festivities will kick off at 4 p.m. at our Sunland-Tujunga Field Office, 7747 Foothill Blvd., and will include light refreshments and beverages, though everyone is invited to bring a plate of holiday cookies for a special cookie contest.

All are welcome, but RSVPs are encouraged. (Click on the flyer to the right for more information.)

LOS ANGELES – Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the city’s Education and Neighborhoods Committee, released a comprehensive review today of local democracy following a nearly year-long study of Los Angeles’ 92 neighborhood councils. The report encompasses the wide-ranging views of community leaders throughout Los Angeles.

Councilmember Krekorian speaks at the first Neighborhood Council Town Hall Workshop in Van Nuys | Sept. 19, 2010

“As Chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, I have made it a priority to gather input from neighborhood councils and all other stakeholders interested in the future of the Department Of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and the neighborhood empowerment movement,” Councilmember Krekorian said.

“This report is a culmination of that effort and reflects the various views and opinions expressed at numerous neighborhood council meetings, regional alliance meetings, and many other events my staff and I have attended over the last 11 months.”

The report summarizes the input provided by those who participated in the two citywide town halls the office of Councilmember Krekorian conducted to gather specific information on neighborhood council elections, the role of DONE, the funding program and training and ethics requirements for neighborhood council board members.

“The global economic crisis and the fiscal emergency facing the City of Los Angeles has had a devastating impact on the DONE budget, which has resulted in a reduction of DONE staff by more than 50%.,” Councilmember Krekorian said. “While the budget crisis has presented us with unprecedented challenges, I also see it as an opportunity – an opportunity to make DONE more efficient, more effective, and more focused on the core function of empowering communities and helping neighborhood councils to flourish. Going forward, I will utilize these opinions in my policy making process on how to move forward with the challenge of reforming and improving DONE and the neighborhood council system.”

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Criminal charges were filed Thursday against two employees of the Department of Water and Power, accusing them of setting up a scheme to defraud the utility using the agency’s corporate credit cards.

The two men are accused of using about a dozen DWP “P-cards,” or purchasing cards, to buy at least $3 million in products on the utility’s behalf between July 2003 and December 2009. They allegedly bought goods at an inflated price and pocketed the difference

Less than a week later, the L.A. City Council sought to ensure the ensuring DWP investigation does not fall into the black hole of bureaucracy. On Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010, the council introduced a motion that calls on the DWP to report back to city officials on the status of its investigation. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Paul Krekorian and brought forward by Councilmembers Bernard Parks and Jan Perry.

The motion will next be heard in the Energy and Environment Committee before it makes its way back to the council for a vote. Read a scanned copy of the original motion below the jump.Continue reading →

In an effort to continue his open and transparent administration, Councilmember Paul Krekorian, on behalf of the Los Angeles City Clerk, encourages everyone to take a look at the recent summary of neighborhood council elections held between March and June 2010.

The report, which you can read here, details the neighborhood council election processes across the city, their cost, as well as provide some guidance for such elections going forward. The City Clerk will present these findings Wednesday, Oct. 27 in City Hall, Room 1060, 200 N. Spring St. Los Angeles soon. The meeting of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee for the 27th has been postponed. We will let you know exactly when and where the next meeting will take place and apologize for any inconvenience.

Recently, Councilmember Krekorian held a neighborhood council town hall where a discussion on elections was a main focus. For more information on that, please click here.

12:34 We’re just about ready to wrap up for the day. Don’t forget that you can always go on to our website, cd2.lacity.org and this site for more information and to keep the conversation going. Thanks to those who followed along and to the great input we received online!

12:08 Groups are shifting now and this is a good opportunity to tell you that each session, which is moderated by our staff, includes a note taker who is jotting down each item of discussion. This week, we will synthesize this info and put it up on this blog, allowing you to not only read these ideas, but rate them as well. Stay tuned and, if you have not done so already, you can sign up to receive updates via email by clicking on the button to the right.

12:03 Others say an “elections task force” should be formed to find out exactly what the issues are. “This will take time,” resident says, while another says there needs to be “outside independent reviews” of NCs to ensure that outreach is actually being completed and that everyone knows local NC elections are being held.

11:59 We are moving on to the election functions of neighborhood councils, the final stop on our mini-tour of breakout sessions. This one is led by Nate Jones and Heather O’Connor, who each work in our Sunland-Tujunga office. Some are frustrated by the job of DONE in administering elections, saying that NCs should operate their own elections, not the department.Continue reading →

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About

This blog was created, and is managed by staff of Councilman Paul Krekorian to enhance what should be the free flow of policy discussions as it concerns the city’s second City Council district and the rest of Los Angeles. Please help us by leaving your thoughts and ensure that this is a collaborative process. That said, please be respectful of all opinions and be mindful that comments which disparage, bash or are unnecessary to the topic being discussed will not be approved. In addition, please keep all comments free of foul language and obscenities.